


Shine, Together

by Thee_Maxwell



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Established Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Mush, M/M, Valentine's Day, Willie Backstory (Julie and The Phantoms), Willie Loves Alex Mercer (Julie and The Phantoms)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 16:33:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29404860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thee_Maxwell/pseuds/Thee_Maxwell
Summary: “You want to do something for Valentine’s Day?” Willie’s mouth twitched into a smile. Starting as a smirk before it blew into a full-blown smile. Alex hadn’t looked at him when he asked, fiddling with his drumstick instead. The blond was lying on the couch in the studio, Willie was sitting in a loveseat that had been moved in.“Aw, do you have a crush on me?” Willie teased, blatantly staring at the drummer. “I’d love to be your Valentine, hotdog.”orWillie takes Alex on a date to the Hollywood sign
Relationships: Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 101





	Shine, Together

**Author's Note:**

> Heya! This is literally only rated teen for some light swearing, and some allusions to racism and homophobia (though they're just briefly mentioned), otherwise it is almost purely fluff.

Willie’s been lucky enough to travel around a lot. One of the perks, working with the club, was being able to see all the big cities he could dream of. He’s spent the most time in LA, but that wasn’t where he was from originally. 

He’s a midwest kid, born and raised just above the bible belt by a couple of hippies who hated it but couldn’t afford anything else. He loved his parents, he loved his hometown, but he would be lying if he said he visited often. There wasn’t anything to do out there, and after so many years of being dead, it just hurt more than anything to see his parents grieve. Even though they never did as much as he assumed others might, they were far too spiritual for that.

That being said, he went back on occasion, mostly for his or his parents’ birthdays. They usually lit one candle in a small altar that Willie swears is for him, but the only things giving him any sort of clue are a helmet and some socks that would make a child smile, but any adult would question the person wearing them. 

Every time he goes, he’s reminded why he doesn’t visit more often. He’s reminded of why he joined the club in the first place. It wasn’t just because of the atmosphere, of the fun and the music, but the people were incredible. They never cared who someone was, because they were all someone unique, with their own experiences in life. Willie never formally came out in life, but being a naturally polite guy with a preference for long hair and looking nice came with relentless harassment from his town. That never happened in the Hollywood Ghost Club (it helps that their leader is gay). 

Also, as mentioned, they went to some really cool places.

So far, Willie’s favorite has been Paris. He’d never outright admit it (something, something, repressed feelings), but he was a hopeless romantic, and what was better than the city of love? The crowd that night had been amazing, full of energy and excitement, the language was beautiful, and who didn’t love sightseeing? He’d considered dropping the club to stay there, briefly talking to Caleb about it, but was ultimately convinced to continue with the group. It would be more rewarding in the end, he was told.

Caleb never took him back to Paris, and he wasn’t really capable of a poof that far away. Every time Caleb went, it happened to be on Willie’s day off, or he would be told that he needed to stay and man down the fort.

So, in his free time, he took to sightseeing in Los Angeles. The very first thing he did was find his way to the Hollywood sign. When he was younger, he’d dreamt about it, this bright, brilliant thing; a billboard, bragging about the magnitude of the city. The sign didn’t exactly live up to all of that once he’d gotten there, but it was still cool. 

The thing loomed over him. Movies had never prepared him for it being taller than most buildings in his hometown. But the area surrounding it looked just as dull up close as it did from afar. There was nothing that the hill was hiding but dirt, grass, and weeds. 

It reminded him of home, almost—nothing around but dying greenery, in the middle of nowhere. But the view got him. The city was laid out in front of him, and he silently congratulated himself for choosing to go at night. The city was alive, lights shining under the moon, which also happened to be brighter than usual. He smiled; a warm feeling enveloped his heart. This city was his new home.

\--

“Babe.”

“Hm?”

“You want to do something for Valentine’s Day?” Willie’s mouth twitched into a smile. Starting as a smirk before it blew into a full-blown smile. Alex hadn’t looked at him when he asked, fiddling with his drumstick instead. The blond was lying on the couch in the studio, Willie was sitting in a loveseat that had been moved in. 

“Aw, do you have a crush on me?” Willie teased, blatantly staring at the drummer. “I’d love to be your Valentine, hotdog.”

“I take it back.”

Willie whined, getting ready to stomp his feet like a child before Alex looked at him, smiling. He melted, turning his head before grinning so wide his cheeks hurt. He feels his face redden but is powerless to stop it.

“How dare you.”

“What?”

“Exist.” 

“You didn’t have to run into me.”

“I didn’t know I would!”

“Are you regretting it?”

“..no.”

“Alright. Now, what are we going to do tomorrow?”

Willie hadn’t thought about it at all and was kicking himself for it. He was the suggestion guy, the more impulsive of the couple and all that jazz. But he was awful at coming up with plans. 

“I’d say we could go out for a romantic, candlelit dinner, but…”

“We can’t eat anything.” Alex finished. Willie nodded, leaning back into his seat. “I’d say go to one of the museums around town, but I’m pretty confident you’ve taken me to every single one here.” He clearly meant it as a jab, but Willie just smiled and batted his eyes at him in response. 

“We could go sightseeing,” Willie said as if he were about to tell a story. He waved his hand out over an imaginary Los Angeles. “Traverse the town.”

Alex snorts in laughter. “Sure, and see what? The alleyway where I bit into a hotdog and then promptly bit the dust?” Willie considered it for longer than he’d like to admit but ultimately decided to put a pin in the idea for another day.

“I mean like, the Walk of Fame, or the Hollywood Sign, or like. We could go to Disneyland or _something_.”

Alex, still lying down, lifts his hand into the air, holding three fingers up. “The Walk of Fame is overrated,” he puts one finger down, “Disneyland is cool, might not be a bad idea,” he puts down a second, “and I’ve never actually been to the Hollywood Sign.”

To call the noise that Willie made a gasp would be undermining the intensity of it. It’s more like he was taking both his last full breath of air he’d ever get but also the first breath after being underwater for just barely too long. He held one hand to his chest, his other arm flinging away from his body before he could stop it.

“ _You’ve never been to the Hollywood Sign_?”

“Uh, no?” Alex gave him a look like he was crazy, and he definitely looked the part. 

“But you grew up here!”

“Exactly. I can go look at it whenever I want. Besides, it’s just a sign that happens to be famous.”

“That’s what we’re doing, but like, tonight. It’s better at night.” Alex laughed again, rolled his eyes but settled on smiling at Willie, whose heart fluttered. He’s always amazed at how easily Alex can get him flustered, even when doing literally nothing. “I’ll meet you back here tonight?”

“What, we’re not even going to do this on Valentine’s Day?”

“I figure we can go, and then I can stay over, and we can do something else tomorrow.” Willie winked, which caused a flush of red to fall over Alex. He got up, stepping over to the couch where Alex was lying and shoved his legs out of the way before sitting. Alex cried in protest, but stopped when Willie pulled him into his lap, essentially turning the drummer to face the opposite of where he had been before, and began running his hands through his hair.

Alex crossed his arms, pouted, but melted into Willie, which he counted as a personal victory. They stayed there for an hour, nearly asleep when Julie came into the studio. She’s talking with Luke and Reggie, who had apparently accompanied her home from school. 

Neither of them heard the topic of conversation before the three stopped, and Julie greeted them with a warm “hey guys.” Alex bolted into a sitting position, seemingly embarrassed at being caught cuddling with his boyfriend, but Willie held his hand, laughing. Luke and Reggie looked at each other, then gave Alex a collective knowing smirk. Willie couldn’t help but think that their shared brain cell was on high alert.

They know about them, because of course they do, and although they liked to tease Alex about finally having a boyfriend, he knew they were genuinely really happy for him. They wouldn’t let anything happen to their friend, though. He knew if anything happened to him, literally anything, especially after the club incident, it would be Willie’s neck on the table. It honestly warmed his heart to see how protective they are.

He stood up, still holding Alex’s hand, though he let it fall rather quickly. “I guess that’s my cue,” he said. “I’ll see you tonight?” Alex looked at him, brows furrowed just a little, but Julie beat him to the punch.

“You’re welcome to stay.” Willie smiled, though it held just a hint of sadness. 

“I know, but I don’t want to overstep any boundaries, and regardless, I should check-in at the club in case Caleb starts to get suspicious.” He hadn’t felt Caleb calling him back, and the man had generally had a lighter hold on him than before, but he didn’t want to risk making anything worse. 

He reached back for Alex’s hand, pulling him to stand with Willie. He kissed the drummer goodbye, tempted to laugh at Alex’s propensity for blushing, before walking out of the studio. As he did, he could hear Luke say, “someone’s got a hot date tonight.” followed by Alex grumbling, which is precisely the reason that he didn’t simply poof out of the room.

\--

It was just after nine when Willie came back, well after the sun had set. As he was leaving, Caleb gave him that look of his, the one where he knows what’s going on but won’t say anything until it benefits him for blackmail later, but it was smooth sailing otherwise. 

He arrives to the sight of Alex debating on if he should wear his denim jacket or not. It’s on one arm, placed gently over his shoulder, but the rest is hanging haphazardly from his back. He’s turning, looking at himself in the reflection of the grand piano in the middle of the room, though it’s clearly not doing as good of a job as a mirror as he would like since his face is turned into one of frustration. 

Willie walks up to Alex, quiet enough that he doesn’t notice he’s there until Willie places a hand on his shoulder. Alex jumps, letting out an undignified noise that just makes Willie giggle. 

“What’s eating ya, Hotdog?” Alex groans but turns to give Willie a hug, head initially tucked into Willie’s chest. The jacket is still only half on.

“I hate you, but. Jacket or no?”

“Well, you’re a ghost, so it won’t affect whether you get warm or not. And you’ll look good either way. I might be a little biased, but I had hoped to take it off later tonight, so I’d say no. But do what feels good.” Alex blushed, but ultimately decided to not wear the jacket since he already had his hoodie on. 

Willie hung around the studio for another couple of minutes while Alex finished getting ready. He thought it was endearing how, despite them literally being ghosts, and no one other than them can see each other, Alex still wanted to look nice for him. Warmed his dead heart more than it reasonably should. He knew his boyfriend was ready when he felt a hand nudge his own.

“I still don’t get why you think the sign is so cool.”

“You’ll see when we get there.” With that, he grabbed Alex’s hand and poofed them out. 

They arrived at the bottom of the sign, it looming over them with its large white letters. Willie let out a breath, turning to face the view of the city. He waited for Alex to let go of his hand and start looking around, but he never did. He just turned with Willie but looked at his face rather than Los Angeles. 

“The view is breathtaking,” Willie whispered. He hadn’t been back for a couple of years, so the city had changed slightly since the last time he’d seen it from this angle. Now that he knew where it was, Willie was able to locate the Hollywood Ghost Club immediately. It didn’t hang over the skyline like some other buildings did, but it was easy to find due to its odd shape and the dancing lights from the building next to it. 

His gaze ranged from the Club to the weak waters on the end of town, which he could barely make out to the other edge of town, where he knew the studio was located. 

“ _Yeah, it is_.” Alex breathed out. Willie turned to try and find where he was looking, only to see that Alex hadn’t stopped staring at him.

“That’s not fair!” He stomped jokingly. “I’m supposed to be mesmerizing you with the amazing shit that being up here provides, and you’re not even looking!” 

Alex laughed, eyes crinkling, smiling wide, and Willie can’t help how his heart begins beating a little faster or how his own mouth turns up to a smile. He jerks Alex by his hand, pulling his head into his shoulder. Finally, Alex turns to look at the view, but he begins to sit, bringing Willie down with him. Once settled, he cuddles back into the skater.

“You didn’t have to bring me here to mesmerize me. Just being with you does that.” Willie’s blush intensifies, but he’d never admit it. 

“Yeah, but look at it. The city’s so alive, the lights are so gorgeous. Maybe the sky isn’t all that it could be, but there’s just so much there. It’s crazy to me that there’s so much going on down there, and it’s all in sight. It looks so small from here, but that’s part of the wonder.”

“Call me disillusioned to the city then, because all I see when I look out there is the traffic jam heading toward the freeway, or the homeless people who don’t have a place to call their own, and I can practically hear all the people yelling for cabs.”

“Most people call an Uber these days, but that’s beside the point. Does it not like, fascinate you to know that all of that is happening right there? And you’re looking at all of it?” Alex shakes his head, and while he’s not looking at Willie like he’s crazy, Willie can’t help but think that that’s what he’s thinking anyway. It strikes him at that moment that he hasn’t really talked about how he grew up.

“Okay, let me get this right,” he says. “So, because you grew up here, most of the super cool things to do or see here just don’t phase you?” 

Alex thinks for a moment, then nods. “But if I took you to like, New York, or something, would you be interested then?” He thinks, then nods again. Willie’s about to say something, but Alex cuts him off.

“You didn’t grow up here, did you?”

“Bingo.”

“Damn, I feel like a dick.”

“Why?” 

“Because I haven’t asked about your past at all. Gotta make up for it, tell me.” Alex moved so that he’s no longer leaning on Willie, now looking at him. He seems genuinely interested, so much so that Willie’s shocked into a laugh. 

“What?”

“There is _nothing_ to tell.” Alex squints his eyes and pouts, silently demanding more information. Willie is a weak, sappy man, so he caves.

“I grew up in the middle of nowhere Indiana. My town when I died had like, 2,000 people in it, and I’m pretty sure it’s only gotten smaller since. I picked up skateboarding because there was nothing else to do. My parents were a couple of stoner hippies who I love very much but can be a lot at times.”

“What’s the name of the town?”

Willie hesitates. He knows he’ll be made fun of for it. So, when he responds, it’s mumbled and completely unintelligible. “Sorry, what?” Alex teases. Willie repeats, though still mumbling. Alex shakes his head. “No, sorry, didn’t catch that.”

“Covington.” Willie’s voice drops. He can feel the word in his throat, like it’s fighting. It’s not a big thing, but the irony has never escaped him.

“As in-”

“Yes, like the last name of the man whose cult I’m a part of and who tried to kill you. Same spelling. We’ve talked about it.” Alex snorted. He laid on the ground, but Willie stayed seated. He took the opportunity to stare at Alex, whose eyes were closed. He was still giggling.

“Man,” he started before interrupting himself with laughter. 

“Babe.”

“You really tried to leave one Covington-” More laughter bubbled from him. He was contagious, but Willie fought joining him, instead settling on whining. “But you managed to get stuck with another.”

“Shut up.”

Alex reached his hands out towards the sky. Willie was tempted to rest his head in them, but he decided against it. His boyfriend was bullying him, and as such, he’d restrict being cute at all. 

“You should change your last name to Covington. Maybe then you can escape it otherwise.” Willie groaned, but Alex had laughed himself to tears. One of his hands was now wrapped around his stomach. He looked so pleased with himself, and Willie had to tell himself to not kiss his stupid smug face. However, he was unable to repress the urge to stare at his mouth, which was smiling in such a way that it looked like a heart. 

When Alex opens his eyes, they’re wet but no longer actively shedding tears. He sighs, wiping his face and softening his expression when he realizes that Willie’s been looking at him the entire time. He cups his hand to Willie’s cheek, rubbing his thumb over his cheekbone. Willie nearly melts into it. 

He can feel Alex’s heart race through the pulse below his thumb, and he only hopes that Alex can’t feel his because then he’ll know just how crazy for this man he is. For his stupid heart smile and his stupid gorgeous eyes and his annoyingly soft hair that never got tangled and the dumb freckles that were almost too light to see. He’s definitely not into the muscles he’d built from drumming, or the way Alex was so gentle with him when he really didn’t need to be, and certainly not when Alex takes his rings and puts them switches them with his despite them not being the same size, and _definitely_ not when he’s so into whatever he’s doing that he gets into a zone and puts everything he can into-

“You could also take my last name,” Alex says, quietly, clearly still in some kind of trance with how he’s looking into Willie’s eyes. Willie has to blink to bring himself out of his thoughts as he pulls himself from where he was sitting to prop himself over Alex’s torso. He’s in between a sitting and kneeling position, but his knees are definitely taking more of his weight than Alex’s body is. He blinks, finally registering what Alex said.

“Mercy me, Mr. Mercer, are you proposing to me?”

Alex pushes his face away and turns to face the other direction, essentially knocking Willie off him. Willie just sits next to him, turned once again towards his view. 

“Never say that again. And no, that’s not what I was doing.”

“I don’t know, babe, it certainly sounded like one. William Mercer. Has a decent ring to it.” Alex groaned and moved his hands to hide his face. Willie’s sure that his face is bright red, and if the color of his ears is any indication, he’s right. He allows himself a few glances at the boy, watches as he slowly brings his hands from his face.

Though he decides to leave it alone after a few minutes, choosing instead to take in the city once again. He doesn’t think he’ll ever get tired of the view, even when he’s seen it hundreds of times. Los Angeles keeps changing, even if he doesn’t. It’s a pleasant reminder that everything still goes on, especially when he can get so lost in time. 

Eventually, Alex decides to sit up, facing the city. He quietly takes Willie’s hand, humming to himself. When Willie looks at him, he’s staring intently at one spot in particular, though Willie can’t figure out what it is. He follows his line of sight, checking out an area for a few moments, but when he can’t find anything, he looks back to Alex. His heart flutters lightly as the light reflects off of his cheeks in just the right way, and his hair looks like it floats in the slight breeze. 

Alex turns to him, and Willie can’t help but feel like he’s somehow the love interest in a movie about Alex’s life. He flashes that annoying grin, and Willie wonders how he was lucky enough to have the opportunity to be the one it's directed at. Alex has to know what he does to him, there’s no way he can’t. Not when he can’t stop looking between his eyes and lips, and is most definitely rosy-cheeked while he’s at it. His lips are moving - shit, he’s talking. 

“You see that street, slightly off-center?” Willie nods. “Well, that’s the road where you hit me with your skateboard. Sometimes, when I’m especially anxious, and I can’t really talk to anyone, I’ll pace laps up and down it. You’re never there, but that doesn’t matter. It just reminds me of that day.”

Willie’s heart starts running again, and he can’t help but smile at the sentiment. He’s also incredibly thankful that Alex wasn’t able to read minds because he’s sure that he wouldn’t have wanted to hang out with him if he could. He remembers his brain nearly short-circuiting when he saw Alex for the first time, and that the first thought to cross his mind when it started working was ‘gotta make sure he’s not straight before hitting on him.’ He cringes when thinking back to what he asked, but that apparently didn’t matter now.

Alex turns to look at Willie, causing them to make eye contact. He busts out that heart smile again, and Willie feels his heart tighten. He thinks that this is what love is meant to feel like.

He leans in to kiss Alex, to get rid of his weakness, but Alex moves his hand to the back of Willie’s neck, and he hates that he’s found another one. When they pull back, Alex’s eyes are smitten, shining in the moonlight. Willie makes a mental note to bring him out to Indiana some time, so he can see the night sky in all of its beauty. He kisses Alex’s forehead. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Alex.”

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Valentine's Day (I know it's tomorrow shhh)
> 
> Also if any of you read my Willie backstory fic, no you didn't. I'm rewriting it.


End file.
